Betty White ruled. She absolutely ruled.
Betty White died December 31 at the age 0f 99—just weeks shy of her 100th birthday. For the past few days, the internet has been awash with praise and tributes to the comedy legend. Friends and colleagues have saluted her. Fans old and new have celebrated her. And Wisconsin, perhaps unexpectedly, has been really celebrating her.
Why? Well, it’s not like we need a special reason, but here are some articles that explain the Betty White-Wisconsin connection:
• “Small Wisconsin town honors Betty White with ‘Blonde Betty’ beer” [CNN]
Mineral Point, Wisconsin (population: 2,600) has not only been honoring Betty White for the past few days, it’s been honoring her for years. It seems customers at the Commerce Street Brewery Hotel have long been buying “Blonde Betty” beers for White, in case she ever drops by. At last check, according to a chalkboard tally, the number of free beers awaiting White was 41.
• “The Reason Why Some Speculate Betty White May Be Buried in Wisconsin” [Milwaukee Magazine]
Wait, so why is Mineral Point buying Betty White drinks? You see, White’s third husband, Allen Ludden, is buried in his hometown of…Mineral Point. White and Ludden married in 1963, and remained married until Ludden’s death in 1981. White never remarried, and once referred to Ludden as the “love of [her] life.”
“Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?” White told Larry King in 2014. “I made two mistakes before Allen, but the love of your life doesn’t come along in every life, so I am very grateful that I found him.”
• “‘A wonderful fit’: Historic Wisconsin town could be home to Betty White’s final resting place” [Spectrum News]
The folks of Mineral Point sure would like it if White found eternal peace in their town’s Graceland Cemetery. “We’ve always wondered if that would happen,” a local restaurant owner told Spectrum News. “So yeah, everybody’s pretty excited about it, that it might.”
So will White be buried alongside Ludden in Wisconsin? Well…
• “Agent: Betty White won’t be buried in Wisconsin” [WISN 12]
Nope. “When asked if White would be buried in Wisconsin, [White’s agent Jeff] Witjas said she would not.” So there you go. While an official announcement has yet to be made, it seems likely that White will be buried in California or in her home state of Illinois.
R.I.P. Betty. You ruled. You absolutely ruled.
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